Recovery
by Chibi-Onee-chan
Summary: Gokudera stood frozen, unable to form a coherent thought, let alone speak..."Sawada-san may never wake up again.." One-shot. 5927. Slight 8018.


**Currently working on on-going stories, but had this on a whim. I have another 5927 to upload another day. **

**Setting:** One year later since the end of the manga.  
**Pairing:** 5927. Slight 8018.  
**Warnings:** Homosexuality. No one is forcing you to read it, so if its not your thing, then just leave this fic alone.  
**Disclaimer:** KHR! obviously isn't mine. Otherwise the two pairings in this story would be canon.

* * *

Gokudera was doing research in his bedroom of his apartment. It was currently Chemistry that he was increasing his knowledge on, balancing complicated equations that would make a chemist doubt his own capabilities. However, a door bell interrupted his work.

"Wonder who that could be." He muttered to himself, removing the glasses he wore and glancing out the window- it was snowing heavily outside. He made his way to the front door, and opened it. He froze.

"..." A weak voice gasped his name. It was Tsuna, leaning against the door, clutching a side with a shirt soaked in crimson. His short breaths came out in visible puffs. His pale face was bloodied in splatters, and the red liquid running down the side of the head. He was shivering under his torn clothes that revealed the multiple cuts on his bare skin.

"Tenth!" Gokudera said, startled. Tsuna fell forward, and Gokudera caught him in his arms. "_Tsuna_!"

* * *

Gokudera vaguely remembered getting into the ambulance and arriving at the hospital (one specifically- and _secretly_- for mafia). He sat outside the operation room, staring at his lap, the jeans he wore still covered in his beloved tenth's blood as well as his shirt. He let out a shuddering breath. Why wasn't he there? What happened? He failed to protect the Tenth. Why couldn't he be there? Why the Tenth instead of him? What kind of right-hand man was he? What if Tenth _die_-?

"Gokudera?" A voice halted his thoughts. He glanced up, spotting Yamamoto.

"...Yamamoto..." He murmured in greeting, unable to muster enough energy to call him the usual name.

"I heard from Tsuna's mom. I came when I heard you were here alone." Yamamoto took a seat next to him.

"Why isn't she here?"

"She doesn't want to bring the kids here. She's dropping them off at the Sasegawa's house now." Yamamoto looked over the Storm's appearance. "Should I ask her to bring you a change of clothes?"

"...No." Gokudera frowned. He took to staring at the wall, grateful that Yamamoto decided to stop speaking. It was silent once more, until Reborn and Ryohei arrived.

"Yo," Ryohei greeted in his usual loud voice, until he noticed Gokudera's appearance. "Octopus-Head, you should extremely change clothes! Sawada's Mama went to get you some when she saw you."

"I'm fine like this." Gokudera stated, glaring at the red light brightening the operation sign. "...What was he doing to end up like that...?" He murmured to himself, vividly picturing the brunette in his bloody and battered state over and over again.

"He was fighting with a family being taken out by Vongola." Reborn stated, hopping up onto a chair.

"What?" The silverette whipped his head around to face the infant.

"Tsuna was surrounded. I was there."

"And you didn't do anything?" Gokudera yelled, standing to face Reborn.

"If he is to be a boss, he shouldn't require assistance. He took them all out anyway." Reborn stated. Gokudera's eyes widened,

"What? What if he got killed?"

"Then he wasn't fit." Gokudera lunged for the infant, instantly being held back by Ryohei and Yamamoto. "You son of a bitch! I should kill you for this! Tsuna could have died!"

"Octopus-head!" Ryohei shouted. The Storm guardian continued to struggle in their grip while Reborn only watched on.

"Gokudera...calm down," Yamamoto spoke calmly, holding the other in a firm grip. Gokudera breathed deeply, slumping against the Rain, and looking at the tiled floor. He was gently pushed back onto a chair, and Yamamoto sat next to him, slowly calming his anger, vaguely aware that is was probably because of Yamamoto's flame effect.

"Wait...you called him Tsuna." Reborn stated after a moment. Gokudera blinked, before flushing and growled,

"Yeah...so?"

"Since when have you called him Tsuna?"

"It slipped."

"I doubt that. How long have you been together?"

"...Four months..." Gokudera muttered after a moment, and silence resumed in a heavy undertone.

* * *

"Gokudera-kun," he glanced up some time later (he couldn't really tell how much time passed) to see Nana there, with a bag of clothes in hand. "I heard you were there the whole time with Tsuna when he was hit by the car. I brought you some clothes, so change, okay?" She smiled.

It's a lie. He thought. Tsuna was fighting mafia. There was no car. However, he smiled, exhausted, and said, "Thank you Mama." He stood, taking the bag and heading for the men's bathroom. He entered, heading for the nearest stall in the empty bathroom. He quickly changed into an oversized white-button down, coming to the conclusion it belonged to the Tenth's father, as he would not fit in the Tenth's clothing. He frowned, and opted to stay in his jeans, allowing the long length of the shirt to cover up the blood stains on them. He quickly stuffed his dirtied shirt into the bag, and headed for the sink, turning it on and splashing his face. With that done, he left and walked back over to the hall outside the Operation room. Reborn had taken to sitting on Yamamoto, and Nana had sat next to him, leaving Ryohei to stand next to her. Gokudera took his seat back on the other side of the Rain Guardian.

"Gokudera," Yamamoto murmured, quietly enough for only him to hear even in the heavy silence. "It'll be fine."

"I don't need you to remind me." Gokudera muttered in the same voice level, though he begrudgingly thought hearing someone say it was a little reassuring- even if it was the baseball idiot. Yamamoto merely smiled, and leaned back into his chair.

Gokudera wasn't sure how much more time passed, but he stood as soon as the red-lit sign went out and a surgeon emerged. The others soon followed his actions.

"How is he? Is Tsu-kun okay?" Nana asked worriedly, tears forming at the prospect at bad news. The surgeon opened his mouth to speak, and relayed Tsuna's condition. Gokudera stood frozen, unable to form a coherent thought, let alone speak.

"His injuries are stitched and he's not in a life threatening condition. However...Sawada-san may never wake up again."

* * *

It was one week later when Gokudera was sitting in Tsuna's hospital room. His injuries were kept a secret, only between the Tenth's guardians and Vongola Nono. The Storm was visiting everyday.

"Morning Tsuna," Gokudera softly spoke, looking over the peaceful sleeping form of his beloved brunette, "in three weeks it'll be Christmas, but it's hot enough today to be summer. School is the same- I've been attending because I know you'd want me to. Everyone's starting to wonder where you went, but Reborn used the excuse of a vacation so it's all good." Gokudera smiled, "Oh! I brought the book again, so I can pick up where we left off." He reached into his leather jacket, and pulled out a brown worn book from an inner pocket. He opened to a bookmark page, and began to read aloud in Italian. As he did so, his thoughts drifted back to the day Tsuna said he loved it when he read Italian because it was his native tongue. He smiled again at the memory, and continued to read until the book was completed. He pushed the book shut, releasing a breath.

"Hey Gokudera," A voice called, and Gokudera turned his head to see Yamamoto heading in. "I brought some of Tsuna's clothes from his place, courtesy of his mom." The silverette took the bag handed out, and placed them next to Tsuna's night stand. "Hey, Tsuna!" Yamamoto grinned at the brunette.

"What are you doing here, baseball idiot?" Gokudera questioned.

"A...friend of mine was here so I came to check up Tsuna while I was visiting."

"...How's the friend?"

"He's...good, leaving soon. I just wanted to check up on you guys."

"I see. You don't want to keep him waiting." Gokudera waved off the sword freak.

"Ah, alright then. See ya at school," Yamamoto smiled, gave a small goodbye to Tsuna, and left. Gokudera leaned back into the chair, heaving a sigh. He glanced out the window, watching Yamamoto catch up with- was that _Hibari_? The silverette blinked when Hibari bashed his tonfa on Yamamoto's head, but even from here, the Storm could spot the faintest of blushing. Wow. Gokudera shook his head, focusing back on Tsuna.

"Tsuna, you'll never guess what I just saw..."

* * *

It had been two months since then. Gokudera slowly trudged up the stairs to the third floor (the elevator was out of order) for his everyday visit.

"Good Morning Gokudera-kun," A young nurse- Tsuna's in fact- greeted with a smile on her face.

"Good Morning Miki-san," Gokudera nodded in return with his own tiny smile. The petite nurse smiled wider, it even reaching up to her hazel eyes before heading off, the low ponytail of long purple locks swaying. The silverette knocked on the door once and opened it.

"Hey Tsuna," He stated softly, used to the silence as a return. He sat in the bedside chair and leaned back. Gazing at the sleeping form of his beloved, he couldn't help but heave a sigh. Two months. Two months and a week. Two months and a week since Tsuna was put into the coma. It was getting harder and harder every day. The longer the coma, the less of a chance to wake up from one. Gokudera knew, and despite his damnedest efforts, the thought still existed in his mind, becoming more and more likely it would be true for Tsuna.

No.

Tsuna wasn't just anyone. He was Vongola Decimo. He was strong. He was kind. He was Tsuna.

He was Gokudera's.

_He's still human_, the thoughts in his head whispered, defying and doubting the Tenth. Gokudera gritted his teeth. He released a breath and began to talk to the brunette about his day.

* * *

Another month. Another month of no warm hugs, kind smiles, joyous laughs, and tender kisses. Another month of a sleeping Tsuna. Another month of a lifeless Tsuna.

Gokudera could not take it anymore. He stood on the roof of the hospital, the outside of the fence, and stared down at the ground, expressionless.

* * *

_Wake up. Quickly. Wake up, before you lose your precious person._

"..._Tsuna_..."

Bleary eyes woke to an infant in his face. He blinked, once, then twice, and suddenly sat up. He heard a voice. It was Gokudera's. He was kicked in the side suddenly, and his exhausted body nearly fell over. He was caught, however, by strong arms.

"Sawada!" Ryohei's voice caught his attention, and Tsuna realized it was the boxer who was holding him up.

"I- where am I?" Tsuna asked.

"The hospital. But that's extremely not important! Octopus-head is extremely going to kill himself!" Tsuna's eyes widened.

"He's what-"

"Dame-Tsuna," Reborn redirected his focus. "Gokudera is up on the roof. Yamamoto is trying to convince him not to jump. It seems he couldn't take you being in a coma anymore."

"Coma?"

"For three months. Now hurry up and get him down." Ryohei quickly heaved Tsuna into a piggyback position and darted for the roof when Reborn jumped onto his head. The sun guardian was quick and in no time, he was busting through the roof.

"Gokudera..." Yamamoto spoke gently, not taking notice to their arrival.

"Shut up!" Gokudera shouted. He was dangerously close to the edge of the roof and Tsuna wanted to know how he climbed over the high fence. The Storm hadn't even turned around or reacted to the loud noise of the door opening. The silverette continued, "At least you have somebody! Everyday I stare at his sleeping face hoping he'll wake up and say my name. I can't keep smiling and think its okay!" Tsuna gaped and gasped audibly. He shook a little. Gokudera visited everyday? Every single day for three months. He wanted to cry. He froze, though, when Gokudera shifted to take a step. Doing the only thing he could think of, he yelled,

"Hayato!"

* * *

Gokudera froze. _That voice_. That sweet voice could not be...

"Tsuna." He whispered to himself and slowly turned. He stiffened when his eyes landed on Tsuna. It was Tsuna. Awake and calling his name. Awake, alive. He took in a shuddering breath, and as fast as he could, climbed over the towering fence. He stumbled to Tsuna, who was meeting his eyes with the same amount of concern and relief.

"Hayato," Tsuna breathed, and Ryohei lowered Tsuna to the ground. Tsuna's legs gave out quickly, but Gokudera was there to catch him.

"Tsuna...you're...awake." He murmured, lowering the both of them down so Tsuna sat in front of him on his knees.

"...Yeah. Sorry for taking so long." Tsuna smiled. "Please don't do such a thing again. I won't leave you, ever."

"...Promise...?" Gokudera mumbled, only loud enough for the brunette to hear. Tsuna nodded. Holding back tears, Gokudera quickly wrapped his arms around the other. Tsuna reciprocated, holding on tightly. The silverette felt the tears slip, and stifled a sob, hiding his red face in the crook of Tsuna's neck.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi-san?" A surprised female voice stated, surprised. The two quickly broke apart, flushing a deep red.

"Miki-san?" The silverette blinked.

"Who?" Tsuna tilted his head.

"Your nurse." He explained.

"Sawada-san, if you were awake, you should have gotten me." Miki smiled. "Recovery _is_ a process, you know." Tsuna apologized with a small laugh. Ryohei and Yamamoto grinned. Reborn only smirked. Gokudera smiled softly and helped up his other half. Tsuna glanced at him and returned the smile,

"Let's go, okay?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Gokudera worked diligently, brushing up on his Physics at home. He scribbled quickly on loose leaf paper, glasses dangerously close to falling off his nose. The doorbell rang.

"Ah," He murmured to himself, suddenly overcome by realization. He stood, leaving the papers to fly off the desk and land haphazardly on the carpeted floor. The silverette arrived at his front door and pulled it open. Tsuna smiled, leaning up to kiss the other on the lips. Gokudera reciprocated and the two pulled back, smiling widely.

"Hey...I'm back," Tsuna blushed, "from 'vacation'." Gokudera mirrored it with a lighter shade and softly greeted,

"Welcome back."

_Fin._


End file.
